"Hey, you're gonna be okay," Mary assured Killian, as she reached over to still his bouncing knee. She knew that being without his wife was a slightly worrying experience for him. Which was why she had insisted on accompanying him to the chapel that morning.
"Thanks." He tried to offer his mother-in-law a reassuring smile, but it came out a little tighter than he would have liked.
"I promise, I won't leave your side. I know it's not quite the same as having Emma with you, but at least you'll have a friendly face to turn to, for support."
Killian took Mary's hand into his own and gave it a firm squeeze, before he dropped it back down to the seat between them. While Mary was right, and he truly appreciated having her support, it was nowhere near the same as having Emma there with him. Although, it was certainly a more preferable option than having nobody around to guide him at all.
Killian was starting to wonder if Mary had ever had someone to turn to for guidance, after she had married David, like he had her.
"Did you ever want to be a member?" he asked suddenly, in an attempt to make some kind of conversation.
"Oh, I've never been asked," Mary chuckled. "I'm not sure I have the right credentials for it. Also, I'm not entirely sure I'd pull of those robes."
Killian laughed a little at his mother-in-law's brutal honesty, which was exactly what she had been hoping for. "You know, I have no idea how your daughter does it. Those things look awful, but the moment she puts them on, they're suddenly the prettiest robes I've ever seen in my life."
"She's naturally beautiful," Mary gushed. "Always has been. When she was born, David used to sit and hold her for hours, just staring down at her. Whenever I caught him, he'd say, 'Can you believe we made someone so perfect?' I'd never seen him so in love with someone, as he was with her. Yet… when she was born, I was worried he'd be disappointed. You know… they kinda drill into you at school about how important it used to be for monarchs to have male heirs. So, when the doctor said we had a healthy little girl, I was worried he'd be upset. That maybe he'd have preferred a son. But… from the moment she was placed into his arms, they were completely inseparable."
Killian reached for Mary's hand once more, and this time kept hold of it, to offer her some small comfort. "I'm sorry I never had the chance to meet him."
"I know you hear it a lot, but he really would have loved you," Mary assured him. "He'd have loved you for the way you love our daughter."
Killian wasn't surprised to see the people lining the streets around Windsor Castle, ready for the procession. But he was surprised by how few there were in attendance. Emma had mentioned something about requiring a ticket for the event, but he had assumed the streets would be lined with people, much like they had been for his wedding day.
"It's because they'll be on foot," Mary explained, as she watched him take in the sights once more.
While Mary had been terrified of the official events she was expected to attend, after her wedding day, she felt infinitely worse for Killian. When she was younger, social media and the press were not as intense, and nowhere near as critical, as they currently were. She knew deep down that Killian and Emma probably wouldn't have ended up falling in love, without the aid of their Twitter accounts. But, she couldn't begin to imagine how strange it must have been for him, knowing that his every move was being streamed live, and analyzed, all around the word.
Killian offered her a smile of thanks as Anton rolled the car to a stop outside the East Door of the chapel. A large white marquee had been set up just off to the side of the doors, to allow for family members to gather and watch the procession. As he slipped out of the car, and quickly jogged round to Mary's side to help her out, Killian noticed that most of Emma's family were already there, chatting amongst themselves, or to the spouses of members of the Order.
After having witnessed the grandeur and splendor of Trooping the Colours at the weekend, he was surprised by what he saw, as the parade began making its way up the road, towards them. The military bands were once again putting on a wonderful show, as the first set of guards lead the small group along the road.
"Those are the Royal Arms officers," Roger explained, as he took up a position on the other side of Killian, to help guide him through his first Garter Day celebration. As one of the Queen's children, Liz had been created a Royal Lady Companion of the Order on her twenty-first birthday, and was therefore required to take place in the procession, along with her older sister. "Behind them will be the newly appointed Knights of the Order."
The parade wasn't quite close enough for Killian to make out the individuals, but he nodded his understanding of Roger's explanations. Emma had clarified that she would be near the back of the procession, with her grandmother, while they were talking in bed the night before. She had explained about the hierarchy within the Order, and how it was reflected in the parade, with the more senior and established Knights following the newly created members, and the royal family behind them.
Emma's position reflected her status as heir to the throne, and she often joined her grandmother for the parade, walking just a step ahead of the older woman, to show their respective positions within the hierarchy of the family. By the time Killian had caught sight of his wife, the rest of the Knights and Ladies of the Order had already begun to file into chapel, ready for the service of worship that would take place there.
"Those are Yeoman of the Guards," Roger continued, as Killian's eyes landed on the small group following Ruth and Emma up the road. "They're probably best known for the traditional Tudor uniforms they wear."
Once again, Killian nodded his understanding. He had seen images of those guard before, during his internet research. But, in that moment, most of his focus was on his wife, and the way her beautiful face shone with happiness, as she exchanged light conversation with her grandmother, and waved to the crowds gathered on either side of the road. The Mantel she was wearing looked so heavy and hot, but there wasn't a hair out of place on his beautiful Princess, as she inched ever closer to his side.
"Can I sit with Emma for the service?" he asked Mary and Roger. She had probably told him the details of the ceremony the night before, but right then, he couldn't recall any of them.
"Unfortunately not," Roger replied, with a sad smile. "But don't worry, we'll keep you company."
Killian allowed Roger to guide him into the small chapel, and down into a seat next to Mary, so they could watch the service of Thanksgiving.
"See that banner up there?" Roger asked suddenly. Killian turned his head to see where the older man was pointing, and nodded when his eyes fell on the red, blue and yellow of the one his wife's uncle was showing him. "That's Emma's," he explained. "If you look closely enough, you'll see that they've changed it since your marriage, as her coat of arms has now merged with your own."
Killian was a little too far away to truly appreciate the small detail Roger had pointed out to him. He had completely forgotten, until that moment, about the new coat of arms that Emma had shown to him, all those months ago, when they had first gotten engaged. The one he always wore, on a small chain, around his neck. He couldn't quite believe that in the space of only a few months, Ruth's team of people had managed to completely integrate him into every aspect of his wife's life, and position.
It was almost as if he'd always belonged there.
And that was a truly humbling feeling.
Just to clarify from the last chapter, as I had a few messages about it, while there are no more than 24 members of the Order of the Garter, there are different types of membership, which boost these numbers. At present, there are 21 Members of the Order. The longest member was appointed in 1985 - Lord Carrington, and the newest are Lord Shuttleworth and Sir David Brewer, who were both appointed in 2016. In addition to this, there are 8 Royal Knight/Lady Companions, 8 Stranger Knight/Lady Companions (these are members of foreign Royal families), and 6 Officers.
The Parade route stretches from the Upper, Middle and Lower Wards of Windsor Castle, to St. George's Chapel where a service of Thanksgiving is held. (Different sources state that sometimes a luncheon is held before the parade, and sometimes after. I've opted to hold it after, in this piece). Tickets for the parade are extremely limited, and can be requested between the 1st January and the 1st of March each year (with a limit of 4 tickets per request).
Inside the Chapel, members of the Order are entitled to display their heraldic crests and banners. The heraldic crests and banners are removed upon the death of a member (following a presentation at the high alter) and the family can then do as they wish with them. However, a Garter stall plate remains in place forever. I've included images of Prince William's plate and banner so you can get some idea of what these look like.
As mentioned way back in Read All About It, when Emma married Killian, her Coat of Arms was adjusted to reflect that she was now the daughter of her father, AND the wife of her husband. As a result of this, the Coat of Arms on her banner will have been updated, to reflect this change in her life. I've also included an image of the Prince of Wales's Coat of Arms, as this is probably the closest I could get to an image of Emma's (without putting in serious leg work to find the origins of the name Jones in Ireland).
You'll probably notice that Prince William's banner shares a great deal of resemblance to his father's Coat of Arms.
I think that's everything roughly covered. But feel free to send me a message if there's something I forgot to add.
Thanks for reading.